In recent years, a number of new telephone service features have been provided by an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN). The AIN evolved out of a need to increase the capabilities of the telephone network architecture in order to meet the growing needs of telephone customers or users. Additionally, as the number of people who rely on the Internet for communication increases, so does the demand for the electronic transfer of data.
Referring now to FIG. 1, it is seen that an AIN-based network arrangement is provided within and/or in conjunction with each of several wire line telephone system LATAs (Local Access and Transport Area) 101, each of which defines a calling service area. Note that a similar arrangement is also provided with and/or in conjunction with a wireless telephone system. Each LATA 101 (only one being shown in FIG. 1) includes stations (i.e. telephone lines and telephone equipment at the ends thereof) 103 and corresponding service switching points (SSPs) 105 at end offices or central offices. The SSPs 105 are each programmable switches which: recognize AIN-type calls; launch queries to service control points (SCPs) 107 (only one being shown in FIG. 1); and receive commands and data from SCPs 107 to further process and route AIN-type calls within and between the LATAs 101. A signal transfer point (STP) 109 may be employed to route signals between the SSPs 105, the SCPs 107, and other network elements. When one of the SSPs 105 is triggered by an AIN-type call, the triggered SSP 105 formulates an AIN service request for a particular AIN element such as an SCP 107, sends the request to the element, receives a response including call processing instructions from the element, and acts in accordance with the received call processing instructions.
An AIN trigger may be associated with a called party and an SSP 105 thereof or a called party and an SSP 105 thereof. One type of event that may be arranged to set off an AIN trigger in an SSP 105 or the like is a call from a calling party to a called party where the called party has arranged for a telephone service to be performed prior to having the call put through. Here, the trigger is associated with the SSP 105 of the called party, and the service may be any sort of service, such as for example a service to check first to see if the line of the called party is busy, and if so to forward the call to an alternate number or an answering service.
Typically, a call when put through to a called party causes a signal to be annunciated (a ring tone to be played, e.g.) at the telephone or the like of the called party, whereby the signal/ring tone (hereinafter, ‘ring tone’) alerts the called party to the call and the called party may answer same. In the case of a wire line telephone system, the ring tone is typically generated by the end office or central office associated with the called party, and in the case of a wireless telephone system or a networked telephone system, the ring tone is typically generated at the telephone or the like in response to a ring tone generation command from a switching center or the like. Typically, the ring tone played is always the same ring tone regardless of the nature of the telephone call, even when the called party can select the ring tone.
When a calling party calls a called party, then, the called party is presented with the same ring tone regardless of whether the call is routine, special, urgent, an emergency, or the like. As should be appreciated, however, the called party may instead wish to be presented with a different ring tone for each of several types of calls, so that the called party may for example have an opportunity to decide to answer each call based on the nature of the call as represented by the ring tone presented for such call.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and mechanism by which the called party can in fact be provided with a different ring tone for each of several types of calls, and for example may indeed have an opportunity to decide to answer each call based on the nature of the call as represented by the ring tone presented for such call. More particularly, a need exists for such a method and mechanism by which the calling party is given an opportunity to specify a type for the call, and based on the type specified a particular ring tone is presented to the called party. Further, a need exists for a method and mechanism whereby the ring tone is provided to the telephone by a network-based ring tone manager while the call is being setup.